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FreeRice Now In French And Italian

by World Food Programme | World Food Programme
Tuesday, 27 September 2011 16:21 GMT

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

FreeRice, the online quiz game that turns right answers into rice for the hungry, is now available in French and Italian. The new language versions open the door to millions of new players, while giving French and Italian learners a new way to drill their vocabulary while fighting world hunger. ROME - Do you know the meaning of the French words: "argent-vif", "banban" and "argousin"?  And even if you guessed that "pastasciutta" and "stracotta" have something to do with Italian cooking - would you know exactly what they mean? Hundreds of millions of French and Italian speakers and language students worldwide can now test their vocabulary and knowledge in art, chemistry and geography in a fun and challenging way. While they're doing it, they can help to feed hungry children around the world, thanks to Freerice Français  (fr.freerice.com), and Freerice Italiano  (it.freerice.com), following their launch on Wednesday by WFP. Not just for native speakers "Whether you are a French or Italian speaker eager to enrich your vocabulary or an avid language student, Freerice engages players in a fun and challenging way that helps the hungry," said Nancy Roman, WFP Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Partnerships Division. How does Freerice work? Players face increasingly difficult vocabulary questions and for every correct answer, they earn ten grains of rice donated to WFP and paid for by advertisers of the site. Freerice is also an innovative social media tool, giving players the ability to create online groups with their relatives, friends and co-workers, taking vocabulary game play and interaction to a new level. 100 billion grains of rice Originally launched in English in 2007, Freerice.com became an instant viral phenomenon. In its first month, the game had raised enough rice to feed over 50,000 people for a day. Its designer, John Breen, says the programme started out as a simple word game to help his teenage sons prepare for their college entrance exams. Today, Freerice attracts 40,000 players daily (1.3 million per month) who take the fight against hunger online. They have raised almost 100 billion grains of rice, enough to feed 4.8 million people for a day in countries like Haiti, Uganda, Pakistan and Cambodia. The French and Italian versions follow the successful launch, last June, of the Spanish version, while other language versions including Chinese and Korean are underway. "Freerice is a truly innovative concept that has taken the Internet by storm over the last few years. From Paris to Montréal, and from Hanoi to Dakar, French speakers and learners around the world can now actively participate in this online viral phenomenon and help save millions of lives," said Marina Catena, Director of WFP in France.      

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